


Black Hill Collection

by littlesolo



Category: Marvel Cinematic Universe
Genre: F/F
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2018-08-22
Updated: 2018-08-22
Packaged: 2019-06-30 21:06:32
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings, Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 12
Words: 7,048
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/15759693
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/littlesolo/pseuds/littlesolo
Summary: Various Black Hill fics that are based on prompts and movie quotesFeel free to leave prompts in the comments!





	1. Waiting For A Ride

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Prompt: Maria and Natasha chat while Nat waits for evac.

Natasha is in bad shape.  She was sporting three gunshot wounds and a possible concussion.  They’d been separated but Clint was coming for her.  

“Your ride is thirty minutes out, okay?  Stay with me Natasha” comes Maria’s soothing voice over the comms.  

“I’m here.  I told Sitwell I couldn’t do it.  There were too many variables for two many variables up in the air for just two people” sighs Natasha.  The mission had gone wrong from the start.  SHe and Clint were doing their usual ruse of posing as a couple in the market for something illegal.  But she’d had a bad feeling ever since Sitwell had given them their briefing.  She knew Clint knew it was too risky too, but Sitwell refused to back down.  So they went through with it.  Trying to recover the missing plutonium.  Not surprisingly, (at least to them) they were unsuccessful in getting it back but they did manage to tag it before it got away.  Or at least Clint had.  He had confirmed as much over comms before he got out of range.  “I’m not taking the fall again.  I’ve got enough bruises on my knees” groans Natasha as she tries to shift into a more comfortable position.  

“What do you want me to say?  I’m doing my best to clean up the mess from here, but…”  

“I have fingers, but I save the third just for Jasper Sitwell” mumbles Natasha.  “Oh, sorry, was I supposed to keep that a secret?”  

“It’s not the best thing to say over comms but I’ve heard worse” comments Maria.  Her amused tone makes Natasha’s lips flicker into a small smile.  “Surely you have something better to do than watch me?” asks Nat.  

“Nope” responds Maria, “You’re all I’m thinking about right now.”  

“Stop giving me ideas.  They’re not good for you” mutters Natasha.  It could be due to the blow to her head, but it seemed like Maria was flirting with her.  Or she could be dreaming.  

“No you’re not dreaming, you’re probably just a little light headed due to blood loss.  Now talk to me.”  

“Can I complain?  I feel like complaining…. For instance I broke a playdate with Lila for this… something involving butterflies…”  

“Really?”  

“What?  That so hard to believe??  Me playing with Lila??” asks Natasha, her words beginning to slur but it doesn’t hide the slight sound of hurt in her voice.  

“I can’t always tell fact from fiction when it comes to you but I’m imagining you with large butterfly wings on your back.  I hear she’s practicing for a recital.”  

“Yeah… I promised…promised to help her rehearse.  I was going to attend rather than fill out paperwork.  Hope that doesn’t hurt your feelings.”  

“Nah, I was invited too.  What do you say we go together?”  

“Wouldn’t that start a rumor or two?” asks Natasha, a grin spreading across her lips.  

“Since when have you cared what others think?” asks Maria with a laugh.  I makes Natasha’s grin turn into a full blown smile.  

Then Clint is there with the jet.  At least she has that to look forward to.  That’s two weeks from now.  Plenty of time to heal.  And to plan.  


	2. Well Made Threats

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Prompt: An attempt is made on Maria’s life…unsuccessfully. Natasha helps her deal with the aftermath.

Sharon and Kevin rush into the medical bay.  Maria had been missing for the better part of two weeks.  It appeared that upon HYDRA’s big reveal, some agents had stayed behind to play a longer game and see how SHIELD tried to adapt.  Jasper Sitwell’s treachery was hard enough on Maria.  She’d considered him to be a close friend.  Well as close as she let people get.  She’d been to his daughter’s birthday party when she turned sixteen.  She’d gotten the girl a journal.  

Jim Hawkins wasn’t close to her after Sitwell’s betrayal but he’d shot down HYDRA agents with her and saved countless agents lives.  Only to still be playing a part.  He was HYDRA through and through.  He’d not only put a sedative in her coffee but then injected another one in her neck.  

They’d gone at her for days but Maria simply retreated into her mental memory palace and waited for rescue.  A rescue that hadn’t come because no matter how Natasha persuaded him to talk, he had nothing to give, being only a cog in a much larger plan and not privy to the more advanced details.  So Maria had been held and tortured for days on end until finally they drugged her again and the blessed darkness surrounded her again.  Only she’d woke to find herself in a shoddily made box left to rot in the ground.  She hadn’t given up though.  She fought her way back to the surface and then it gets fuzzy.  There is a haze of blood and the sound of broken bones, but she walks away from it.  

Coulson and May find her.  Well, she flags their SUV down.  HYDRA had pulled the tracker from her wrist, knowing that every such person of such high status had one.  It was standard SHIELD procedure.  

When she enters the medical bay, Sharon and Kevin are there waiting for her.  She is still covered in dirt, blood, and grime as well as bit of grey matter probably.  

“Maria, we were so worried.  What happened?  Are you okay?”  The words come at her from every direction and the bright lights hurt and she grimaces at being overwhelmed.  

“While I appreciate your concern, I was technically six feet under, like, five minutes ago.  Give my head a chance to up” pleads Maria.  

Nick Fury waits a few paces back, letting the family reunite.  He has questions but they can wait.  

Even farther back down the corridor, Clint and Natasha watch the reunion.  Both know Maria is no slouch in self defense and determination.  It really didn’t surprise Natasha that Maria came out on top at all.  What had surprised her was the absolute dread that she had felt at hearing that Maria was missing.  It had…shaken her.  Natasha turns away, feeling like she’s intruding on this private family moment.  She’ll visit tomorrow.  

* * *

There’s a knock at her door and it isn’t going away anytime soon.  It’s three in the morning and no one in their right mind would disturb the Widow now.  Gun in hand, she swings open the door in irritation.  To Natasha’s shock it’s Maria on the other side of the door, dressed in clean jeans and shirt but looking hollow and exhausted.  

“I’m pretty sure you got buried alive not even five hours ago.  What are you doing here?  You should be at the hospital” stammers Natasha, quickly pulling Maria into her home.  She carefully settles Maria on the couch.  

“I know I shouldn’t have just shown up like this, but I don’t want to be alone right now.  Sharon and Kevin mean well but they kept asking questions or were too quiet and I just knew you’d… well I don’t know.  There were so many people at the hospital and the lights and noise…”  Natasha shushes her gently.  She knows all about it.  She’s knows all about these types of horrors.  Maria seems at loose ends so they sit in silence, comforted by the other’s presence, until Natasha notices Maria starting to drift off.  Carefully, she helps Maria lay down and then goes to retrieve a blanket from the closet.  She curses herself for not offering Maria her bed, but settles into a nearby chair to get some sleep.  

Natasha is brought out from sleep sensing something is wrong.  She turns to see Maria trapped in a nightmare.  She’s just about to gently shake her awake when Maria bolts upright, a scream caught in her throat.  

“Shh-  No, no, don’t panic Maria.  You’re safe now” soothes Natasha.  She gently rubbed Maria’s back.  Maria shakes her head clear of her dreams.  

“I can’t go back to sleep after that.  I need coffee- no I need a drink, a stiff one” murmurs Maria as she presses the heels of her hands into her eyes.  

“One stiff drink coming right up” says Natasha with a gentle smile.  Drinks she can do for now and she’ll be there for the rest later.


	3. Last Minute in Paris

Maria is fed up.  She’s been waiting for Natasha in a small cafe in Paris for forty minutes now.  Paris, a romantic city and the perfect place for a fourth date.  And it would be, perfect that is, if Natasha were here, but without her all the couples around her being so in love was irritating.  It’s like being single on Valentine’s Day.  

Maria hadn’t exactly gone all out, but she’d had this day scheduled for a month now and had even spruced herself up a bit.  Well, maybe that was going a bit far.  She had showered and dressed in a cornflower blue pressed shirt and black slacks.  Not exactly dressed to the nines, but it was something other than her uniform or gym sweats.  

She’s just about to leave when Natasha comes running up to the table, a large duffle slung over her shoulder.  Maria’s hopes for a simple date vanish as Natasha beckons her over with one hand and hails a van taxi cab with the other.  Maria hopes it’s just a change of venue, but the appearance of the duffle bag has her doubting it.  Still, she follows Natasha into the cab.  

“Natasha, what is going on?” sighs Maria as she buckles herself in.  Natasha holds up a finger as she addresses the driver.  

“Grand Hotel du Palais Royal, please.”  Maria crosses her arms and waits as the black cab divider rolls back up.  

“What’s going on?” she asks again.  

“I know tonight is supposed to be our date but I just got blindsided by Sitwell with a last minute OP and you’re the only one available to help me” explains Natasha.  Maria’s shoulders slump but she nods.  

“What do you need from me?” asks Maria with a sigh.  

“Great, here’s your dress, congrats, we’re married.  All you have to do is distract the guy while I get what we need.”  

Maria rolls her eyes as Natasha hands her an elegant dress.  Maria begins to strip but before she takes off her shirt Natasha grabs her hand.  “Hey, after this maybe we can still have our date, alright?” says Natasha.  Maria nods but won’t meet Natasha’s eyes.  They’d spent forever trying to organize an evening they both had off between assignments and missions, it was rare that they both had time on the ground at the same time.  Natasha gently zips Maria into her dress.  Maria looks out the window blankly for a moment and it has Natasha biting her lip nervously and is about to say something when Maria speaks.  

“Who’s the mark?” asks Maria.  

* * *

Maria’s role isn’t hard to play.  She just has to keep the man occupied while Natasha goes through his room and copies the files onto a flash drive.  Maria flirts and listens to the mark talk about himself for the better part of an hour seated at the bar.  Her mind however, is elsewhere.  Natasha can sense this from across the room.  Oh sure, Maria is smiling and laughing in all the right places but Natasha can see she’s just going through the motions.  

Thankfully, the mark doesn’t seem to notice as he takes a sip from his drink.  Natasha leisurely makes her way towards the bar.  

“I’m so sorry I’m late” says Natasha as she joins them.  Once she reaches Maria’s side she leans over for a cheek kiss.  It was only supposed to be a cheek kiss, but at the last moment Maria turns her head, and Natasha’s lips brush hers instead.  It’s electric even though it only lasts a moment and Natasha immediately wants more, but she can’t help but feel like the kiss is tainted because their on an assignment.  She hides reaction well, or at least the mark doesn’t seem to notice.  Maria notices the change though and Natasha wants to kick herself for it.  

It takes another half an hour for them to lose the mark.  

“Nat-” begins Maria, but Natasha starts talking at the same time.  

“What do you say to having dinner with me?  I hear Le Lulli restaurant is supposed to be pretty good” says Natasha in a rush.  She has a bad feeling about whatever Maria is about to say and just wants to try and fix it.  

“What I was about to say was… well, no.  I’m sure the restaurant is fantastic, but it’s not where I want to be right now.  You don’t have to try so hard Nat.  I like you, a lot.  I guess I was just disappointed in the reminder that the job will always come first when it comes to us.  But I’m not disappointed by you.  So what do you say to dinner at a little cafe somewhere.”  Natasha lets out a sigh of relief.  

“Okay, but there’s something I have to do again first” announces Natasha.  

“Oh, what’s that?”  Natasha leans in a kisses her again.  It’s even better this time because Maria is given a chance to respond and in a matter of seconds it’s a heavy kiss that is probably better suited for elsewhere.  When Natasha pulls back, Maria is smiling at her.  

“Let’s go.”  


	4. Waiting on a Ride

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Prompt: Maria and Natasha chat while Nat waits for evac.

Natasha is in bad shape.  She was sporting three gunshot wounds and a possible concussion.  They’d been separated but Clint was coming for her.  

“Your ride is thirty minutes out, okay?  Stay with me Natasha” comes Maria’s soothing voice over the comms.  

“I’m here.  I told Sitwell I couldn’t do it.  There were too many variables for two many variables up in the air for just two people” sighs Natasha.  The mission had gone wrong from the start.  SHe and Clint were doing their usual ruse of posing as a couple in the market for something illegal.  But she’d had a bad feeling ever since Sitwell had given them their briefing.  She knew Clint knew it was too risky too, but Sitwell refused to back down.  So they went through with it.  Trying to recover the missing plutonium.  Not surprisingly, (at least to them) they were unsuccessful in getting it back but they did manage to tag it before it got away.  Or at least Clint had.  He had confirmed as much over comms before he got out of range.  “I’m not taking the fall again.  I’ve got enough bruises on my knees” groans Natasha as she tries to shift into a more comfortable position.  

“What do you want me to say?  I’m doing my best to clean up the mess from here, but…”  

“I have fingers, but I save the third just for Jasper Sitwell” mumbles Natasha.  “Oh, sorry, was I supposed to keep that a secret?”  

“It’s not the best thing to say over comms but I’ve heard worse” comments Maria.  Her amused tone makes Natasha’s lips flicker into a small smile.  “Surely you have something better to do than watch me?” asks Nat.  

“Nope” responds Maria, “You’re all I’m thinking about right now.”  

“Stop giving me ideas.  They’re not good for you” mutters Natasha.  It could be due to the blow to her head, but it seemed like Maria was flirting with her.  Or she could be dreaming.  

“No you’re not dreaming, you’re probably just a little light headed due to blood loss.  Now talk to me.”  

“Can I complain?  I feel like complaining…. For instance I broke a playdate with Lila for this… something involving butterflies…”  

“Really?”  

“What?  That so hard to believe??  Me playing with Lila??” asks Natasha, her words beginning to slur but it doesn’t hide the slight sound of hurt in her voice.  

“I can’t always tell fact from fiction when it comes to you but I’m imagining you with large butterfly wings on your back.  I hear she’s practicing for a recital.”  

“Yeah… I promised…promised to help her rehearse.  I was going to attend rather than fill out paperwork.  Hope that doesn’t hurt your feelings.”  

“Nah, I was invited too.  What do you say we go together?”  

“Wouldn’t that start a rumor or two?” asks Natasha, a grin spreading across her lips.  

“Since when have you cared what others think?” asks Maria with a laugh.  I makes Natasha’s grin turn into a full blown smile.  

Then Clint is there with the jet.  At least she has that to look forward to.  That’s two weeks from now.  Plenty of time to heal.  And to plan.  


	5. Well Made Threats

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Prompt: An attempt is made on Maria’s life…unsuccessfully. Natasha helps her deal with the aftermath.

Sharon and Kevin rush into the medical bay.  Maria had been missing for the better part of two weeks.  It appeared that upon HYDRA’s big reveal, some agents had stayed behind to play a longer game and see how SHIELD tried to adapt.  Jasper Sitwell’s treachery was hard enough on Maria.  She’d considered him to be a close friend.  Well as close as she let people get.  She’d been to his daughter’s birthday party when she turned sixteen.  She’d gotten the girl a journal.  

Jim Hawkins wasn’t close to her after Sitwell’s betrayal but he’d shot down HYDRA agents with her and saved countless agents lives.  Only to still be playing a part.  He was HYDRA through and through.  He’d not only put a sedative in her coffee but then injected another one in her neck.  

They’d gone at her for days but Maria simply retreated into her mental memory palace and waited for rescue.  A rescue that hadn’t come because no matter how Natasha persuaded him to talk, he had nothing to give, being only a cog in a much larger plan and not privy to the more advanced details.  So Maria had been held and tortured for days on end until finally they drugged her again and the blessed darkness surrounded her again.  Only she’d woke to find herself in a shoddily made box left to rot in the ground.  She hadn’t given up though.  She fought her way back to the surface and then it gets fuzzy.  There is a haze of blood and the sound of broken bones, but she walks away from it.  

Coulson and May find her.  Well, she flags their SUV down.  HYDRA had pulled the tracker from her wrist, knowing that every such person of such high status had one.  It was standard SHIELD procedure.  

When she enters the medical bay, Sharon and Kevin are there waiting for her.  She is still covered in dirt, blood, and grime as well as bit of grey matter probably.  

“Maria, we were so worried.  What happened?  Are you okay?”  The words come at her from every direction and the bright lights hurt and she grimaces at being overwhelmed.  

“While I appreciate your concern, I was technically six feet under, like, five minutes ago.  Give my head a chance to up” pleads Maria.  

Nick Fury waits a few paces back, letting the family reunite.  He has questions but they can wait.  

Even farther back down the corridor, Clint and Natasha watch the reunion.  Both know Maria is no slouch in self defense and determination.  It really didn’t surprise Natasha that Maria came out on top at all.  What had surprised her was the absolute dread that she had felt at hearing that Maria was missing.  It had…shaken her.  Natasha turns away, feeling like she’s intruding on this private family moment.  She’ll visit tomorrow.  

* * *

There’s a knock at her door and it isn’t going away anytime soon.  It’s three in the morning and no one in their right mind would disturb the Widow now.  Gun in hand, she swings open the door in irritation.  To Natasha’s shock it’s Maria on the other side of the door, dressed in clean jeans and shirt but looking hollow and exhausted.  

“I’m pretty sure you got buried alive not even five hours ago.  What are you doing here?  You should be at the hospital” stammers Natasha, quickly pulling Maria into her home.  She carefully settles Maria on the couch.  

“I know I shouldn’t have just shown up like this, but I don’t want to be alone right now.  Sharon and Kevin mean well but they kept asking questions or were too quiet and I just knew you’d… well I don’t know.  There were so many people at the hospital and the lights and noise…”  Natasha shushes her gently.  She knows all about it.  She’s knows all about these types of horrors.  Maria seems at loose ends so they sit in silence, comforted by the other’s presence, until Natasha notices Maria starting to drift off.  Carefully, she helps Maria lay down and then goes to retrieve a blanket from the closet.  She curses herself for not offering Maria her bed, but settles into a nearby chair to get some sleep.  

Natasha is brought out from sleep sensing something is wrong.  She turns to see Maria trapped in a nightmare.  She’s just about to gently shake her awake when Maria bolts upright, a scream caught in her throat.  

“Shh-  No, no, don’t panic Maria.  You’re safe now” soothes Natasha.  She gently rubbed Maria’s back.  Maria shakes her head clear of her dreams.  

“I can’t go back to sleep after that.  I need coffee- no I need a drink, a stiff one” murmurs Maria as she presses the heels of her hands into her eyes.  

“One stiff drink coming right up” says Natasha with a gentle smile.  Drinks she can do for now and she’ll be there for the rest later.  


	6. Last Minute in Paris

Maria is fed up.  She’s been waiting for Natasha in a small cafe in Paris for forty minutes now.  Paris, a romantic city and the perfect place for a fourth date.  And it would be, perfect that is, if Natasha were here, but without her all the couples around her being so in love was irritating.  It’s like being single on Valentine’s Day.  

Maria hadn’t exactly gone all out, but she’d had this day scheduled for a month now and had even spruced herself up a bit.  Well, maybe that was going a bit far.  She had showered and dressed in a cornflower blue pressed shirt and black slacks.  Not exactly dressed to the nines, but it was something other than her uniform or gym sweats.  

She’s just about to leave when Natasha comes running up to the table, a large duffle slung over her shoulder.  Maria’s hopes for a simple date vanish as Natasha beckons her over with one hand and hails a van taxi cab with the other.  Maria hopes it’s just a change of venue, but the appearance of the duffle bag has her doubting it.  Still, she follows Natasha into the cab.  

“Natasha, what is going on?” sighs Maria as she buckles herself in.  Natasha holds up a finger as she addresses the driver.  

“Grand Hotel du Palais Royal, please.”  Maria crosses her arms and waits as the black cab divider rolls back up.  

“What’s going on?” she asks again.  

“I know tonight is supposed to be our date but I just got blindsided by Sitwell with a last minute OP and you’re the only one available to help me” explains Natasha.  Maria’s shoulders slump but she nods.  

“What do you need from me?” asks Maria with a sigh.  

“Great, here’s your dress, congrats, we’re married.  All you have to do is distract the guy while I get what we need.”  

Maria rolls her eyes as Natasha hands her an elegant dress.  Maria begins to strip but before she takes off her shirt Natasha grabs her hand.  “Hey, after this maybe we can still have our date, alright?” says Natasha.  Maria nods but won’t meet Natasha’s eyes.  They’d spent forever trying to organize an evening they both had off between assignments and missions, it was rare that they both had time on the ground at the same time.  Natasha gently zips Maria into her dress.  Maria looks out the window blankly for a moment and it has Natasha biting her lip nervously and is about to say something when Maria speaks.  

“Who’s the mark?” asks Maria.  

* * *

Maria’s role isn’t hard to play.  She just has to keep the man occupied while Natasha goes through his room and copies the files onto a flash drive.  Maria flirts and listens to the mark talk about himself for the better part of an hour seated at the bar.  Her mind however, is elsewhere.  Natasha can sense this from across the room.  Oh sure, Maria is smiling and laughing in all the right places but Natasha can see she’s just going through the motions.  

Thankfully, the mark doesn’t seem to notice as he takes a sip from his drink.  Natasha leisurely makes her way towards the bar.  

“I’m so sorry I’m late” says Natasha as she joins them.  Once she reaches Maria’s side she leans over for a cheek kiss.  It was only supposed to be a cheek kiss, but at the last moment Maria turns her head, and Natasha’s lips brush hers instead.  It’s electric even though it only lasts a moment and Natasha immediately wants more, but she can’t help but feel like the kiss is tainted because their on an assignment.  She hides reaction well, or at least the mark doesn’t seem to notice.  Maria notices the change though and Natasha wants to kick herself for it.  

It takes another half an hour for them to lose the mark.  

“Nat-” begins Maria, but Natasha starts talking at the same time.  

“What do you say to having dinner with me?  I hear Le Lulli restaurant is supposed to be pretty good” says Natasha in a rush.  She has a bad feeling about whatever Maria is about to say and just wants to try and fix it.  

“What I was about to say was… well, no.  I’m sure the restaurant is fantastic, but it’s not where I want to be right now.  You don’t have to try so hard Nat.  I like you, a lot.  I guess I was just disappointed in the reminder that the job will always come first when it comes to us.  But I’m not disappointed by you.  So what do you say to dinner at a little cafe somewhere.”  Natasha lets out a sigh of relief.  

“Okay, but there’s something I have to do again first” announces Natasha.  

“Oh, what’s that?”  Natasha leans in a kisses her again.  It’s even better this time because Maria is given a chance to respond and in a matter of seconds it’s a heavy kiss that is probably better suited for elsewhere.  When Natasha pulls back, Maria is smiling at her.  

“Let’s go.”  


	7. Adults Talking

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Prompt- Was I talking to you? No. Go sit in that chair while the grown ups are talking. -Nat to some junior agent probably

They are at an impasse.  According to the analysts, they’re being set up for an ambush, which matches the uneasy feeling Maria has in the pit of her stomach.  Everything in Maria’s gut is saying to abort the mission but Natasha is being stubborn.  Nat’s already had eyes on the package and is pretty sure she can get her hands on it, that her cover isn’t blown.  For some reason, Agent Hawkins thinks just because he’s Nat’s handler for this mission he has some sort of input on the situation.  To be clear, he doesn’t.  It’s Natasha on the roof of a building right now with no way out.  

“Romanoff, it is your mission to get that disk back to us here and-” starts Hawkins.  

“Was I talking to you?  No.  Go sit in that chair while the grown ups are talking” responds Natasha, effectively cutting him off.  Except he tries again.  

“As Operation Manager of this office, I have the authority-”  

“Excuse me, did you just throw a title at me, Mr. Hawkins?” barks Maria.  That effectively shut him up.  But now Maria has to find a way to get Natasha home.  It’s going to be a long night.  


	8. Taco Bell

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Prompt: Come get Taco Bell with me. No, I don’t care that it’s three in the morning, I’m already outside your place.

There’s a buzzing sound and Maria automatically reaches for the alarm.  Except that’s not where the sound is coming from.  Her head is still fuzzy but she finally puts it together that the buzzing sound is from her phone.  Looking at the caller ID she sees that it’s Barton.  Immediately, she racks her brain, going over any open missions.  Last she checked the roster, Nat and Clint are having some time off.  Still, she picks up the phone.  

“Barton whatever it is, find Coulson or Hand to deal with it” murmurs Maria into the receiver part of her phone.  

“Hey Maria!  Come get Taco Bell with me” comes Clint’s voice over the line.  

“What?  No!  It’s-”  

“Nope.  No, I don’t care that it’s three in the morning, I’m already outside your place” announces Clint.  Now the buzzing sound is replaced with the sounds of a horn outside.  Maria groans as the horn continues to blare, showing no signs of stopping.  Finally having had enough, Maria jams her feet into a pair of sneakers and grabs a hoodie before heading outside.  

Outside, Clint Barton is waiting for her with a large grin on his face.  Seeing her approaching, his grin gets a bit wider.  

“Okay, now I know why you’re glaring at me!  Wow funny story; that wasn’t me or Nat-” starts Clint.  

“No, no, no.  I don’t want to know.  I’m off the clock.  What I’m pissed off about right now is the man honking his horn outside my house and irritating me and my neighbors at three in the morning.”  Maria raises an eyebrow at him and crosses her arms in front of her.  “Taco Bell?  Really?”  Clint shrugs.  

“Open late.  C’mon aren’t you craving a crunchwrap?”  Maria grumbles something that he can’t make out but comes up and climbs in the car.  Shocked, Clint doesn’t know what to say until Maria gestures towards the road.  

“Are we going or what?”  

* * *

Two crunchwraps and a large serving of cinnabon holes later, Clint wipes at his mouth with a napkin and puts his Dad face on.  

“So….. you and Nat….” he starts.  Maria freezes mid chew.  

“Uh what’s happening now?” asks Maria as she swipes at her mouth with her hand.  

“Now you know I consider Nat to be family.  So to do right by her, we gotta have a talk…”  

“You’re aware that you’re talking to a superior officer, right?”  Clint doesn’t crack a smile this time though.  

“We’ve only gone on a few dates, but yes, I know this is different.  We’re trying to come at this slow” explains Maria.  

“And yet somehow you two already have the shared custody of a cat…” drawls Clint.  Maria rolls her eyes at that.  

“It’s complicated and there’s something up with that cat….”  Maria sighs.  “You have this same conversation with Natasha?”  Clint nods.  

“I’m trying to look out for the both of you.”  

“How’d this go over with her?”  

“I didn’t think she should ask you out but I guess I should have thought about that before I encouraged her.”  Maria looks at him puzzled.  

“You didn’t think she should ask me out?”  

“It’s not–  I just didn’t want there to be any complications.  You know, where you have to put the job before Nat…”  Maria shakes her head.  

“The job comes first, you know that better than most since you two are the ones that are usually responding to the latest mess.”  Clint nods at that.  “It’s not easy you know.  Sending you two into whatever fresh hell the world’s come up with.  I don’t doubt your ability but I always worry.”  Clint grins a little bit.  

“Nat know this?  Any of this?” asks Clint.  He tries to hide his smirk at watching Maria squirm in her seat a little.  

“She may know some of my concern… but know this Clint, I would never send you two into something that I wasn’t confident you could win.”  Clint smiles at that.  His work here is done.  Maria is good for Natasha, he knows that.  

“Wanna go half on a Cinnabon dessert?”  


	9. Recovery

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Natasha's offered Maria her safe house for the time being. Maria thought it was impenetrable, but there's a black cat. That cat wasn' tthere an hour ago when she arrived. How did it get in? And... does Natasha have a cat?

Natasha’s safe house is a little bit of peace.  Maria had been kidnapped and tortured.  HYDRA knew that since it’s little mass murder had been thwarted by Cap, they would have to take out all major pieces on the board, one by one.  And the top piece according to the list, was Maria Hill.  They’d had her for four days before Natasha rescued her.  Now Natasha wanted her to lay low and give herself time to heal.  What could Maria say to that?  Not much because her throat felt like it was on fire along with the rest of her injuries.  

She doesn’t remember blacking out, but she comes to in a comfortable bed.  Any bed would seem comfortable after her ordeal, but this is 500 count egyptian cotton sheets, if she’s not mistaken.  She steadily makes her way to the kitchen to make herself something to eat.  She’s eating a sandwich when it starts.  She knew her body taken quite a beating but she had figured that a few days rest would get her feeling human but right now she was seeing things.  Like a black cat specifically.  A cat looking at her with gleaming eyes.  She’s pretty sure that cat wasn’t here when she arrived, and Nat didn’t skimp when it came to security.  

It’s two days later and the cat is still there.  Not in the same spot of course, all over the house.  Mainly in the sun beams, but still, it’s there and Maria doesn’t know what to make of it.  Maybe it’s a trick of the light.  

On the fifth day, Natasha pays her a visit.  

“I see Liho has been keeping you company” says Natasha as she reaches down to pet the head of the black cat.  That’s when Natasha notices Maria’s staring.  “What?”  

“The cat…. is real?” asks Maria.  Natasha frowns and raises a hand to Maria’s forehead.  No fever, which is a relief.  

“Of course the cat is real.  What did you think?”  

“I thought well….  for one that this was a heavily fortified compound… and I didn’t know you had a pet.”  

“Pet?  No, Liho and I have an agreement.  I feed her occasionally, and she doesn’t lick me.  Otherwise, I don’t really know how she gets in.  But don’t worry, you’re safe.”  

“She’ll protect me?” asks a skeptical Maria as she tentatively reaches down to pet the cat in question.  Liho nuzzles into her touch.  

“How’s your recovery going?  Aside from thinking you’re hallucinating a cat” says Natasha as she helps Maria to the sofa.  

“I’m doing better” says Maria but Natasha looks at her, unsure.  It makes Maria laugh.  “I may not look so hot, but I’m healing up just fine.  Now that I know I’m not going crazy, I won’t be looking over my shoulder so much.  Liho?  Is that what you called her?  She certainly can win a staring contest.  Who would believe it?  Natasha has a cat.”  

“That’s the beauty of this arrangement.  No one will.” smirks Natasha.  

“Bet Lila will” smiles Maria as she pulls out a phone.  

“Gimme that!”  

“Nope!”  Maria uses her height to her advantage and keeps the phone from the assassin’s grasp.  It’s the best she’s felt in days.  

 

 


	10. First Impressions

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Natasha doesn't know why she has a burning desire to make a good impression on Cmdr. Hill.

There is something about this woman.  This woman who isn’t afraid of her.  She gives Natasha an appraising glance every time she sees her but not like the others do, not as competition.  Natasha feels like a new recruit but without the dread she used to feel.  It’s an uncertainty that she doesn’t like.  

Maria comes into the room and settles in at her side of the metal table.  

“Can I get you anything?  Something to eat or drink?” offers Maria.  It’s unexpected and throws Natasha off her game for a moment.  She makes sure her face remains impassive before she responds.  

“I could eat.”  One meal later, the small spy looks a little better.  

“What is it you think we do here?” asks Maria.  

“You- We collect information on- “ starts Natasha, but Maria holds up a hand and shakes her head.  

“Not quite.  Information is useless, that changes overnight.  Knowledge isn’t power, people are power.  We collect people” explains Maria.  It’s not quite right, SHIELD looks into all sorts of things.  Supernatural.  Other worldly.  All sorts of incidents.  But they do collect people too.  An ex-carnie with killer aim, for example.  Still, Maria waits to see how her speech is received.  Natasha seems to gauge her options but wants to say the right thing.  She wants to make a good impression on the Commander.  

“I’m tired of running.  If you can help me, I’m in”  Maria smiles at that and sort of nods to herself.  They both knew Natasha had no other options, but there was no sense in rubbing it in.  

“I think you’ll fit in here just fine” says Maria, and she does.  Mainly because she goes out of her way to pair the Spider with the Bird.  But Natasha goes out of her way to make sure she fulfills her promise to the Commander.  The unspoken one, where she knows Maria is going out on a limb for her.  


	11. Hanging Out

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Blackhill. 'you found me hanging by my fingertips from your window and i don't want to tell you i was trying to rob you but idk how else to explain this and i don't want to go to jail and also you're kind of cute we should make out when i'm not clinging onto your window ledge for my life' au

Sometimes all Maria can do is smile.  Because yeah, she could go to town and yell at Natasha but what would be the point?  Natasha would still be Natasha and all Maria would be is hoarse.  

So instead of that, Maria just smiles at the situation in front of her.  Or to be more exact, Natasha hanging off her balcony by her fingertips.  Maria guesses she just stumbled in on Natasha breaking into her house.  There are one or two files there that might be interesting if you had an interest in being put to sleep but most files stayed at the office.  Being Second in Command meant a lot of her headspace was SHIELD information.  Long story short?  Whatever Natasha was looking for was probably in her head rather than on paper or USB.  So instead of interrogation, she was curious as to how the Spider would talk her way out of this.  

“Urg, um, come here often?” offers Natasha as she struggles to maintain her hold on the railing.  Not that it’s slipping, just that her fingers are cramping up.  

“Yeah, it’s a nice place to unwind.  One of my better known pads that I use” says Maria casually.  Natasha doesn’t exactly change expression but her right eyebrow tics for moment.  Maria’s smile grows a little wider at that.  Natasha hadn’t known she had more than one haunt that wasn’t her usual home.  

“You know, you can always ask me things directly rather than going this route” says Maria, although she doubts any other way would be as much fun.  

“You’re not going to mention this to Nick, are you?” asks Natasha as she looks down and readjusts her footing.  

“What would Nick do except possibly tell me to up my security protocols?  So you going to tell me what you were looking for?” asks Maria as she props her elbow on the railing and her chin against her fist, still grinning at the spy hanging by her fingers.  

“Nah, I think I’ll let it bug you for a while” says Natasha.  Gauging her distance from the ground, she knows it’s too far to free fall.  18 stories up, it would be the death of her, enhanced body or no.  

“So I have enough Chinese food for an army… What do you say to joining me for a meal?” asks Maria as she extends one hand out to the assassin.  

“Like a date?” asks Natasha, weighing her options.  

“Only if we have to put a label on things” shrugs Maria.  Natasha grins and  grasps her her hand as Maria pulls her on up.  


	12. Dust

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Post Infinity War

Natasha isn’t sure what’s happened.  She’s no stranger to loss.  But this is different.  This isn’t some idiot with weaponized tech or even a god, this is Thanos.  This is something they couldn’t afford to lose.  Bucky is gone, Sam is gone, Wakanda is without a king, and Wanda had sacrificed her heart for nothing and had been reduced to dust.  

In her stupor, she calls Nick.  Steve sits where he fell, where Bucky fell, not saying anything after uttering the words “Oh God.”  They had lost.  Receiving no reply from Nick, she patches into Control who tells her that it’s a Code Red situation.  God, even with the fall of SHIELD it hadn’t been a Code Red.  But she can’t lose Nick again.  She rushes to Shuri’s lab, back to where their gear is.  

Nick can’t be gone.  Just busy.  He’d make time for a response, no matter what was going on.  He’d want to know how many are left on their end.  Taking a moment, Natasha doesn’t even remember making her way up to Shuri’s lab.  The younger sister is fine, thankfully.  Shuri helps her to the updated console.  There she looks for Nick’s last location.  She searches for Nick’s signal but it’s gone and that’s when the blood in her veins runs cold.  Maria had been with Nick.  

Her hands tremble as she finally comes across the street cam footage.  There she sees the near accident, another SUV hitting them full on and for a moment she worries but then she shakes her head clear.  it would take more than a simple car collision to take out Nick Fury.  That’s when she sees Maria emerge from Nick’s SUV.  Maria.  Of course she’d be with Nick.  She watches her check the other car for passengers but Natasha know there aren’t any.  Natasha feels someone walk up behind her, but she doesn’t look to see who it is.  She reads Maria’s lips.  

“Nick?”

Then Maria begins to turn to dust.  Natasha feels tears well up in her eyes but can’t bring herself to turn away.  Maria’s face is the last thing to fade away.  And then it gets worse.  Nick fades away too.  

There aren’t many who make it to Natasha’s inner circle, to be labeled as those she holds close.  It’s Steve who’s  behind her.  He holds her close in a hug.  A desperate hug, to ground them both.  But then she breaks free and has Control patch her into another number.  Clint.  Oh lord she can’t have lost him too.  She waits as it rings at the farm house.  It rings once…. twice…. three times….

“Nat?”


End file.
